Thanks for signing up! You might also like these other newsletters:

There was a period in Vickie Dowling’s young life when even brushing her teeth was impossible. In college, a time when all of life’s possibilities should be explored, she experienced debilitating flares of erythrodermic psoriasis, the most dangerous kind of psoriasis.

Erythrodermic psoriasis is life threatening because it can cause protein and fluid loss, even heart failure. The skin also sheds in sheets, rather than flakes.

Imagine what that can do to a young girl of 19 or 20. But Dowling’s story is one of survival and mastery of what life throws your way. Today, Dowling, 45, is a psychologist in Carlsbad, Calif., and active in the psoriasis community.

An Early Diagnosis

Dowling was diagnosed with psoriasis around the age of 10. Although she doesn’t remember how extensive her rash was, she does recall being taken out of school for about a month by her parents after a biopsy led to a psoriasis diagnosis.

After that episode, Dowling’s disease went into remission until college when, as she describes it, “The psoriasis was very prominent. It covered my entire body.” Dowling struggled through the end of her first term and then spent the Christmas break healing.

A second flare came a year later, and she had to be hospitalized. “I was barely able to walk — I had psoriatic arthritis, erythrodermic psoriasis, plaque psoriasis, and pustular psoriasis,” says Dowling. The inflammation was everywhere. Because of the extent of her psoriasis symptoms, she was in a wheelchair. “Everybody thought I was a burn patient.”

While Dowling doesn’t recall her reaction to her first diagnosis as a child, she does remember hating the tar baths that were part of her psoriasis treatment. “I didn’t like them because they smelled disgusting.” Because she had been taken out of school at the time, her friends weren’t aware of her condition. “No one saw me besides my family,” says Dowling.

Her flares in college, however, were a different story. “I felt embarrassed,” says Dowling. “People I dated and friends were no longer interested in me. It was devastating. I look back now and I see it was probably ignorance.”

A Life-Altering Psoriasis Episode

The more serious flare that occurred in her sophomore year posed logistical daily challenges. Says Dowling, “I was in an apartment with five other girls. They had to dress me.” Dowling made the difficult decision to leave school and go to California, where her family had relocated from the East Coast. She had no friends and her psoriasis symptoms were in full swing.

“I lost my hair and had only a few wisps left. My fingernails were deformed. People thought I was a cancer patient,” says Dowling. “And I was miserable because all my support system and friends were back where I used to live. It felt like my world was caving in and ending.” Dowling recalls looking into a mirror wearing an older woman’s style wig and feeling very depressed. “My everyday challenge was making it through each day,” says Dowling. “I felt isolated, helpless, and very depressed. It was very lonely.”

Dowling’s body was ravaged by the disease, and her family had to take care of her basic physical needs. “My mother dressed me, brushed my teeth, and fed me,” says Dowling. “It took three or four months before I was back to 90 percent.”

As Dowling began to heal, she decided to continue her education and ultimately earned a graduate degree in psychology. “I began facilitating a support group for people with psoriasis and the members of my committee encouraged me to pursue my education further,” says Dowling. “At the same time, I was working at the University of California, Irvine for a woman who became one of my strongest mentors — she saw strengths in me I wasn't able to see as clearly with the myriad self-doubts I had regarding my skin.”

Dowling says that learning about coping and stress management and having a strong support network gave her the strength to get accepted into a graduate program. “It took me longer to complete my education due to flares — including one that debilitated me so completely that I withdrew from school for a semester — but perseverance, determination, and the support and encouragement of two strong faculty mentors helped me achieve my goal.”

Coping With Daily Challenges

Today, Vickie Dowling’s psoriasis treatment focuses on taking care of her skin and doing what she can to prevent flare-ups. “I put sunscreen on my face and neck and apply lotion from head to toe every single day,” says Dowling. She has to avoid wearing dark clothes because of her scalp psoriasis. “It’s very inconvenient,” she explains, “but some people are put off by the flakes.”

Dowling tries to drink lots of water and takes fish oil supplements and probiotics every day. “I don’t eat processed foods, and I walk and stretch when I’m able,” she says. She prefers more natural psoriasis treatments, as opposed to conventional psoriasis medications, such as biologics.

Dowling also works on minimizing any stress. “There is an ongoing fear of, ‘When am I going to have my next flare?’ I try to keep a positive attitude. I do breathing exercises and read inspirational literature, such as from the National Psoriasis Foundation.”

Dowling credits the Foundation with giving her a strong social network. “My volunteering not only empowers me and educates me, but also allows me to empower other people,” says Dowling. “Having psoriasis is so isolating. People hide — I didn’t want to be seen. The National Psoriasis Foundation was like a lifeline to me.”

Dowling continues to be an actively involved volunteer for the Foundation. She does advocacy work, chairs a Walk to Cure Psoriasis in San Diego, speaks at psoriasis events and conferences, writes articles to educate others, and provides psychotherapy to those with psoriasis. “Bringing awareness and education to others provides many rewards,” says Dowling. “There was not as much information and support available when I was initially diagnosed — I feel great that I can be part of the support and educational network for others.”

What Dowling Wishes People Knew About Psoriasis

“I wish people knew that it’s not contagious. People are frightened. There’s so much ignorance out there,” says Dowling, who has been asked to leave swimming pools and been denied salon services for nails and hair. “I feel like I can be a role model for people with psoriasis. There are so many people who are scared and lonely because others are afraid.”